Garlic
Freshly Crushed For A Healthy Heart

For centuries, people have been
partaking in garlic because
they sensed that it was in some way good for them to do so, now modern
science
is finally catching up and telling us why this “Stinking
Rose” is so good for
us after all.

While much of the focus has
been on the compound allicin,
which gives garlic its distinctive pungency and taste some scientists
are
finding out that this herb is more than just a one trick pony. While
allicin
does seem to be a potent antioxidant that can help us fight off those
nasty
cancer causing free radicals, there are other compounds within garlic
that also
contribute to a healthy heart.

Hydrogen
Sulfide

Scientists have lately been
looking into the properties of
hydrogen sulfide, a substance that forms after garlic is crushed or
cut. While
probably known more for the stuff that gives rotten eggs their rotten
egg
smell, Hydrogen sulfide also acts a chemical messenger in the body. It
causes
blood vessels to relax thus allowing blood to flow more freely through
the
blood vessels.

According to the study,
published in the August 12 issue of
the Journal of Agricultural and Food chemistry, the garlic given to lab
rats
helped reduce damage from the lack of oxygen to the heart.Good flowing blood is
essential to a healthy
heart and can be the difference between lie and death if a heart attack
happens.

The
catch

The study was conducted using
both processed garlic and raw
crushed garlic. According toDr.
Dipak
K. Das who led the study, while bothhelped reduce damage from the lack of oxygen, the
rats from the fresh
garlic group recovered more quickly from simulated heart attacks and
had better
blood flow through the aorta and increased pressure in the left
ventricle.

This is probably because garlic
loses most of its ability to
produce hydrogen sulfide when it is cooked or otherwise processed. By
crushing
and eating garlic raw, you increase the chances of ingesting the
compound and
thereby helping the blood flow through your heart.